Pronoun Before ekki

Level 3

A short pronoun object goes before ekki: Ég sá hann ekki (I didn't see him), not Ég sá ekki hann.

How It Works

Pronouns move. With a simple verb, an ordinary pronoun object comes right after the verb, before ekki:

  • Ég sá hann ekki. (I didn't see him.)
  • Ég skil það ekki. (I don't understand it.)
  • Ég trúi þér ekki. (I don't believe you.) Dative pronouns move too.

The same happens before other sentence adverbs: Ég sé hana oft (I see her often), Hún skildi það aldrei (She never understood it). See alltaf/oft/aldrei.

Full nouns may move. Both orders are correct: Ég las ekki bókina and Ég las bókina ekki. The noun moves in front when it is already known in the conversation.

No move after an auxiliary. In hafa + supine and with other auxiliaries, the main verb stays after ekki, and the object stays with it: Ég hef ekki séð hann (I haven't seen him), Ég get ekki hjálpað þér (I can't help you).

Subordinate clauses too. Icelandic keeps the verb before ekki in subordinate clauses, so the pronoun moves there as well: Ég veit að hún sá hann ekki.

Stress keeps it in place. A pronoun you stress for contrast stays after ekki: Ég sá ekki hann heldur hana. See ekki ... heldur. With a particle verb, the pronoun also comes before the particle: Taktu hann upp. See particle placement.

Examples (6)

  1. Ég sá hann ekki.

    I didn't see him.

    Word by Word: I saw him not.

  2. Ég þekki hana ekki.

    I don't know her.

    Word by Word: I know her not.

  3. Ég las ekki bókina.

    I didn't read the book.

    Word by Word: I read not the book.

    A full noun may stay after ekki. Ég las bókina ekki is also correct.

  4. Ég trúi þér ekki.

    I don't believe you.

    Word by Word: I believe you not.

    trúa takes the dative; the dative pronoun þér moves too.

  5. Ég hef ekki séð hann.

    I haven't seen him.

    Word by Word: I have not seen him.

    After the auxiliary hef, the pronoun stays after séð.

  6. Ég veit að hún sá hann ekki.

    I know she didn't see him.

    Word by Word: I know that she saw him not.

Common Mistakes

  • Leaving an ordinary pronoun after ekki.

    Ég sá ekki hann.
    Ég sá hann ekki.

    An unstressed pronoun object moves in front of ekki. It stays after ekki only when you stress it for contrast.

  • Moving the pronoun in front of ekki after an auxiliary.

    Ég hef hann ekki séð.
    Ég hef ekki séð hann.

    With an auxiliary such as hef, the object stays with the main verb séð, after ekki.

  • Leaving a dative pronoun after ekki.

    Ég trúi ekki þér.
    Ég trúi þér ekki.

    Dative pronouns move too: trúi þér ekki.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

Pronoun Before ekkiLevel 3

Learn This First

Object shift builds on object pronouns and ekki.

Words in This Pattern

ekki